Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi during his official visit to UAE from February 13-15. Modi has visited UAE seven times since 2015, and this is his third visit in the last eight months, underlining the bonhomie and strong relations, which both the countries share.
The BAPS temple is located in the Abu Mureikhah district, close to the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway, and is spread across 27 acres of land gifted by the UAE leadership.
“It stands as a testament to the enduring friendship between India and the UAE, embodying the spirit of cultural harmony and collaboration,” the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) said in a statement.
The temple will be inaugurated by PM Modi on February 14, and will be open for public from March 1. The complex includes a visitor’s centre, prayer halls, exhibitions, learning areas, sports area for children and youth, thematic gardens, water features, a food court, book and gift shop and other facilities.
The seven towers of the temple represent the seven emirates in the UAE.
No iron or steel reinforcements have been used in the temple, which has been carved out of stone, according to The Times of India report.
More than 20,000 tonnes of stone and marble have been shipped from 700 containers to Abu Dhabi over the past three years. Fly ash has been used to fill up the foundation, replacing 55% of the cement in concrete mix, reducing the carbon footprint of the temple, the mandir spokesperson said, as quoted by The Times of India.
The temple has been built keeping in mind the ancient Hindu ‘shilpashastras’. The exterior of the temple is made of pink sandstone from Rajasthan, and interior from white marble. The pillars carved from white marble by more than 2,000 artisans from Gujarat and Rajasthan have designs of peacocks, horses, elephants, camels and moons.
The visitors will get to see two streams of water inside the temple, representing Ganga and Yamuna – rivers of India.
As a mark of respect to other religions, valuable teachings will also be given from the Arabic region, Chinese, Aztec and Mesopotamia, the mandir spokesperson said, as quoted by The Times of India.
The History
Devotees took then president of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a Hindu sect within Swaminarayan Sampradaya, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj to a desert area in Sharjah, UAE, on April 5, 1997.
The Maharaj prayed there for everyone’s well-being, peace to prevail everywhere, countries to give up enmity and prejudice. He also sent out a prayer to build a mandir in Abu Dhabi.
For two decades, BAPS sadhus and priests met the community and government leaders to seek permission for the land to build the temple.
In 2015, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, donated 13.5 acres of land for the construction of the Mandir. The UAE Government, during its Year of Tolerance, allocated a further 13.5 acres of land in January 2019.
Crown Prince of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and PM Modi welcomed BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha during the latter’s visit to UAE in 2018.
BAPS serves millions of devotees around the world through its 1,200 temples, over 3,850 centres and 55,000 volunteers.
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